The present invention refers to a refrigerator, specially for beverage bottles, in particular beer bottles, a system of producing humidity for a refrigerator and a method for generating a covering of ice crystals on a bottle.
Depending on several factors, known refrigerators and freezers may produce, in an uncontrollable way, a covering of ice crystals on beverage bottles, due to condensation of ambient humidity on the surface of the bottle and subsequent freezing in the form of crystals. In various cases, however, this effect is achieved when the beverage itself is already frozen or about to freeze. Parameters such as the local temperature and humidity affect the formation of these crystals.
A known piece of equipment from Makooler do Brasil Ltda., commercially called xe2x80x9cGela Rxc3xa1pidoxe2x80x9d, comprises a bath with water/potassium chloride solution, insulated by a plastic film, maintained at xe2x88x9224xc2x0 C., in which bottles are inserted to obtain super-rapid cooling. In this equipment, if wet bottles are put inside it, an ice covering occurs, but not in the form of crystals.
Document FR 2437815 deals with a refrigerating counter, in which steam is piped and injected into a flow of cold air as it emerges from the evaporator of the refrigeration circuit within the cabinet. The purpose is to maintain the humidity level required by the food preserved inside the refrigerating counter, simultaneously eliminating the need for a complex spraying device, by using water in a liquid state. In this known equipment there is no objective of forming ice, since its operating temperature typically ranges from +2xc2x0 to +14xc2x0.
Similarly, according to FR 2767045, food requiring a high level of fresh water or brine may be stored or exposed in an insulated cabinet, in which air is caused to circulate through refrigerated exchange tubes and in which a mist of fresh water or brine is produced by adjustable nozzles and by a pump. Also in this document the purpose is to provide food with the necessary humidity level, however, without freezing it.
It has been found that consumers of beer prefer bottles with a covering of ice crystals, but without the beer itself being frozen. Of course, the covering of ice crystals conveys to the consumer the feeling that the beer is cold. However, so far no equipment is known that could provide this visual effect in a controlled way, irrespective of the local weather conditions, specially temperature and humidity.
The objective of the present invention is therefore to provide an equipment to produce a COVERING OF ICE CRYSTALS on a beverage bottle, specially beer bottles, which produces such ice crystals regardless of the local weather conditions and without causing the beverage to freeze.
This objective is achieved by means of a refrigerator that comprises a humidity production system, as well as a suitable distribution system to feed the humidity generated in the humidity production system to the internal compartment of the refrigerator, the humidity production system having a water feed. In another embodiment, the humidity production system is located in the internal compartment itself of the refrigerator, dispensing with the separate distribution system.
Equally, a humidity production system is proposed, which can be coupled to a conventional refrigerator, the system comprising a humidity-producing unit, a water reservoir and a distribution duct system capable of interconnecting the humidity-producing unit with the internal compartment of a refrigerator.
Finally, the invention proposes a method for generating a COVERING OF ICE CRYSTALS on a bottle in a refrigerator having an internal compartment and a compressor, which comprises the following steps:
producing humidity in a humidity-producing unit, and
conveying the humidity produced by the humidity-producing unit to the internal compartment of the refrigerator.
In an embodiment wherein the production of humidity occurs in the internal compartment of the refrigerator, the later step of transporting the unit is dispensed with.